Cooking in Season - Baked Fennel & Onion

Fennel is definitely something that is passed over at farmers markets. My sister calls it the "funky onion" because it has an onion-like bulb with long stalks covered in greens that look a lot like Dill, and it smells like licorice! Fennel is actually a member of the celery family and is a great source of Vitamin C. It is also a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, iron and folate. 

But how do you fit something that smells like licorice into a meal for your family??! 
I know, right?! But stick with me here, I've got a great recipe for you to try and it only takes about 25 min to pull together!

Baked Fennel & Onion

(adapted from an old Better Homes and Gardens recipe)

4-5 Fennel bulbs

1 medium yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic

1/2 cup unsweetened Almond milk

1/8 cup vegan Parmesan (store bought or make recipe here)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 T vegan butter

pinch nutmeg

bit of salt

pinch of pepper

pre-heat oven to 425*

 get a big pot boiling on the stove and add a pinch of salt. 

spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick spray.

slice up onion and fennel into big-ish slices. boil them for about 5-6 min. 

drain onion and fennel and spread out on bottom of baking dish.

grate the garlic cloves over top, sprinkle pinch of salt and pepper and nutmeg. 

pour almond milk all around on top.

sprinkle vegan parmisan all over on top. 

dot the 1T vegan butter around on top.

bake for 15-20 minutes (until milk is bubbling and edges a slightly browned)

sprinkle chopped walnuts over  top and serve!

**This dish is great over a grain or a pasta. My favorite with it is Farro! **

Helpful tip-How to chop up Fennel:

cut off the stalks on top of the bulb. slice bulb in half and then cut out the core (the core is the small hard area in the bottom-center of the bulb). Then slice up similar to how you would slice up an onion into long strips.

Sauces and Dips

These three sauces are staples in our house. They have made some cameos in previous posts on this blog, but I thought it might be helpful to have them all in one place. They are in an endless rotation cycle in our fridge because I absolutely must have at least one waiting for me at a moments notice at all times. They really don't take too much time to make...it's just a matter of measuring out the ingredients and whisking them up in a bowl (or blending in the vitamix)...but when hunger strikes...sometimes I don't want to measure and whisk, I want to EAT! 

They are so versatile. All three go wonderfully with any kind of roasted, steamed, raw veggie and/or greens. They are all spectacular in a grain-bowl and veggie dish. They all go wonderfully with noodles....AND they are all awesome DIPS for veggies, nuggets, fries....you name it! 

Pick any one of these three and try them out for yourself and your kiddos! I'll give you a little taste description below to help you choose (although it would be totally fine to make all three at one time too!!!) :

The Peanut Sauce leans more toward an Asian feel because it has coconut aminos and ginger. It's sweet and peanuty.

The Red Pepper "Cheese" Sauce is smooth and mild and tastes similar to creamy nacho cheese. The creaminess comes from soaked cashews and the flavor from the rest of the (totally good for you) ingredients.

The Sweet Miso Sauce is not mine. It's Angela's from Oh She Glows and it's completely delicious. It's sweetened with orange juice and maple syrup. If you have never tried a miso sauce on a salad or veggies or quinoa or...whatever....try this one now! It's so sweet and quite irresistible.

WHY DO YOU NEED SAUCES? 

DON'T THEY JUST ADD UNNECESSARY FAT AND SALT??!

Probably the sauces that we are all used to do. Dressings and dips that you buy pre-made at the store have all kinds of nasty stuff in them. Making your own sauces and dips at home allows you to know what you're putting in them...and you'll be able to pronounce all the ingredients, won't have to add preservatives, extra salt....etc. And they taste way better.

WHAT THESE THREE SAUCES HAVE GOING FOR THEM:

(Nutrition Info)

Peanuts and Cashews are good sources of protein, have those good unsaturated fats as well as vitamin E, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium.

Miso is fermented soy beans and therefore contains protein and fiber. The fermentation process breaks down hard to digest oils, proteins and carbohydrates found in soybeans, so we can more easily digest the nutrients. It also provides vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Garlic, Onion and Ginger are healing super foods that provide anti inflammatory benefits as well as aid in digestive health.

Red Peppers are high in vitamin C and contain vitamin B6, vitamin A and magnesium.

Tahini has iron and calcium

Nutritional Yeast has the all important vitamin B12

Chia seeds act as the thickener in the cheese sauce but are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants.

RECIPES:

Peanut Sauce:

4 T peanut butter

3T coconut aminos

1t minced fresh ginger

1 minced garlic clove

1t sesame oil

1/4 cup water

mix it all together with a wisk!

Red Pepper "Cheese" Sauce:

(adapted from PPK recipe for red pepper cheese)

1 medium onion

1 large clove garlic

1 roasted red pepper

3/4 cup cashews (soaked at least 4 hours in water)

2T nutritional yeast

1T tomato paste

1T tumeric

2 cups vegetable broth

1T mustard

1/2 t salt

4T chia seeds

Chop up onion and garlic and saute in a bit of olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add to blender. Drain cashews and add to blender along with all other ingredients. blend until smooth.

Sweet Miso Sauce:

This recipe is Angela's Orange-Maple Miso Dressing found here.